Tang Bai Li

Chapter 182 Words of Cherishing Time

Zuo Mingqiu paused, then smiled and replied, "I don't bully people. Come back to the third stage first."

"Heh." Ji Xuansu let out a cold laugh and then said no more, closing her eyes and falling asleep instantly.

Seeing this, Zuo Mingqiu also stopped talking and continued to focus on his own healing.

A moment later, he stood up.

Visibly, Zuo Mingqiu's aura was somewhat weak, and his brows were etched with fatigue. It was clear that healing Ji Xuansu had taken a considerable toll on him.

Meanwhile, on the battle stage, Nangong Huaitian and Yue Hengtian had already engaged in a fierce battle. Runes filled the air, like ice crystals from the far north, enveloping the dark green tortoise patterns and shattering them inch by inch.

Yue Hengtian, hiding beneath his tortoise shell, was trapped between a rock and a hard place.

Much like the duel between Xuanyuan Shennian and Zheng Xingfang, the latter was no match for the former. When one attacked, the other could only defend passively, even though he too was a top-tier genius.

Thus, under the roar of the azure tortoise beast, Yue Hengtian began his final struggle. But Nangong's strength seemed to have increased even further. The runes condensed into celestial pillars, smashing down and piercing the tortoise beast directly.

Yue Hengtian, startled, leaped off the stage and simultaneously crushed his jade slip, choosing to concede.

"Not bad."

Xuanyuan Shennian watched the dissipating rune pillar, a faint trace of surprise flashing in her eyes, but it quickly vanished.

Not bad, but only just not bad. The strength Nangong Huaitian displayed was indeed good, but not enough for her to consider him an opponent.

Of course, perhaps it was simply because Yue Hengtian was too weak to force out Nangong's true abilities. After all, as he descended from the stage, he didn't even seem to have broken a sweat, only his hair was slightly disheveled.

But in that state, he was even more beautiful.

Xu Mu, who had rested for a day and a night, happened to open his eyes at this moment. He gazed at Nangong as she descended from the stage and was instantly lost in a daze.

Nangong Huaitian, dressed in a white dress, her black hair like a waterfall, with a slight flush on her face, gracefully walked step by step from the stairs directly towards them.

"You're awake."

Nangong Huaitian reached Xu Mu and asked in a clear, cool voice. Then, the girl quickly realized this was not the battle stage, and the person opposite her was not Yue Hengtian.

She coughed lightly and asked with concern:

"Are you feeling better?"

"I was fine to begin with." Xu Mu grinned, trying to stand up from the ground. But the next second, he found his legs unable to support him, and he lunged directly towards Nangong.

Nangong's expression turned startled, and she quickly caught Xu Mu by the arms, preventing him from falling to the ground.

"Are you alright!" A flash of surprise crossed Nangong's stunning face as she lowered her head and asked.

"My legs seem to be numb." Xu Mu looked up, placing his entire weight on Nangong's arms, and said somewhat awkwardly.

Then he suddenly realized that the position he was being supported in was precisely against Nangong Huaitian's chest!

"Legs are numb?" Nangong Huaitian blinked, then looked down again, gazing at Xu Mu's head hovering in front of her chest. Her focused gaze involuntarily made her lower her arms in shame and anger, and she exclaimed, "Lecher!"

"It wasn't intentional." Xu Mu, who had stumbled, got up from the ground and then explained with a blush, "I sat cross-legged for a day and a night without using my powers to maintain it, so my legs really went numb."

Hearing this, Nangong Huaitian clenched her fists and said with continued embarrassment, "That's not what I was talking about!"

Xu Mu, hearing this and thinking of the slight bulge within the white skirt, swallowed and said guiltily, "I didn't see anything, really."

Nangong said indignantly, "You're still talking!"

Xu Mu immediately stood straight and said seriously, "I'll shut up now."

"Hmph." Nangong let out a cold snort, crossing her arms. After a while, she turned her head again, staring at Xu Mu with a mischievous glint in her eyes and asked, "Are your injuries healed?"

"Wuwuwuwuwu." Xu Mu looked at Nangong, remaining silent.

"What are you doing?" Nangong stared at Xu Mu, then suddenly realized, clenched her fists, and gritted her teeth, saying, "You can speak now."

"As you command!" Xu Mu grinned and continued, "I was saying that I was fine to begin with."

"Fine?" Nangong Huaitian's expression became odd as she scrutinized Xu Mu up and down, asking, "You killed Zhou Jie, and your fight was so intense, yet you say you're fine?"

Hearing this, Xu Mu nodded and smiled, "It was just a bit tiring. I slept it off and recovered."

"But I'm curious, how did you know the fight inside was so intense? Wasn't that space isolated?"

Nangong replied lightly, "That space was like this place and the outside world; though separated, there were still some connections. We sensed the fluctuations from your battle."

Xu Mu's heart trembled slightly upon hearing this, but he maintained a calm exterior and asked nonchalantly, "Oh? What fluctuations did you sense?"

"A... terrifying spiritual energy that made me very uncomfortable." Nangong Huaitian shivered inexplicably, then looked at Xu Mu more firmly and said, "That feeling is akin to the fear a normal person without cultivation would feel upon seeing a source of contamination."

"With such strong fluctuations alone, its true power is unimaginable. So, I'm very curious, how did you defeat Zhou Jie?"

"Ah, this..." Xu Mu awkwardly scratched his head. It seemed Nangong and others had mistaken the fluctuations of his sword for Zhou Jie's spiritual energy.

But that was fine.

"A secret."

Xu Mu smiled slightly at Nangong, "You'll know later."

"Stingy." Nangong shot Xu Mu a sideways glance, then turned away somewhat petulantly and sat on a lotus leaf, closing her eyes and saying, "Little guard, I'm tired and need to rest. You know what to do, right?"

"Mission guaranteed," Xu Mu grinned cheekily, standing in front of Nangong to block the sun from her, while also keeping an eye on other spiritual energy users to prevent any unexpected incidents.

Zuo Mingqiu, seeing this, glanced at Ji Xuansu, who was still healing before him, and clicked his tongue with a sigh:

"It seems some people don't like bookworms."

...

After Nangong, the next to fight was Dongfang Yuchu.

He walked onto the stage and looked at the remaining spiritual energy users below. They were all unfamiliar faces, so he didn't know whom to choose.

Just then, a young man in the corner spoke, his voice clear but with a touch of coldness and awkwardness, "Choose me."

Dongfang Yuchu heard this and looked at the sword-carrying youth with white hair and eyes like blue sapphires, frowning and asking, "Why?"

"I don't like you, and I want to expel you from Yaochi." Yan Yu looked at Dongfang Yuchu and said calmly.

Dongfang Yuchu narrowed his eyes slightly, as if doubting his ears, and asked again, "Do you dare to repeat what you just said?"

"No need." Yan Yu shook his head and said, "If you don't dare, I can let you have three moves."

Hearing this, Dongfang Yuchu continued to narrow his eyes, his face turning gloomy, and nodded:

"It seems you really want to die."

"Then it's you. Come up and accept your death!"

Yan Yu heard this and shook his head, "You're not worthy."

He said this, and his body instantly appeared on the battle stage, standing opposite Dongfang Yuchu, his expression calm.

"Make your move."

Dongfang Yuchu raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, "Oh?"

"I said, I'll give you three moves."

Yan Yu said, with frost clinging to his eyelashes, his face expressionless, "Hurry."

"I don't like wasting time."

...